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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26411506">Council for the Prosecution</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/overunderachiever/pseuds/overunderachiever'>overunderachiever</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soulmate September 2020 [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders is a Hopeless Romantic, Debate Club, First Kiss, First words they say are written on your wrist, Fluff, Love at First Sight, M/M, characters are either 16 and 17 or 18 and 19 depending on your definition of college, pretty much, some characters and details taken from real life, which is apparently not a tag, write what you know amirite</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:21:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,462</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26411506</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/overunderachiever/pseuds/overunderachiever</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The words kept going, lines and lines, travelling down his forearm, past the crook of his elbow and all the way up to his t-shirt sleeve. The first words he would hear his soulmate say, and it looked like an entire speech.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soulmate September 2020 [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872199</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>140</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Council for the Prosecution</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Btw it says college au but any fellow brits out there feel free to imagine this as a-level college/sixth-form rather than uni cause that's actually what this is based on lol.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Roman stared at his wrist, counting down the seconds to midnight out loud. The moment he turned seven years old, the first words he would hear his soulmate say to him would appear written on his skin, so he would know who they were when they met. He couldn’t wait to see what they would say, what sort of person they might be, how their first interaction might go.</p><p>Only one minute to go! It was getting close!</p><p>Then only thirty seconds, then twenty, then ten, then 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...</p><p>The clock hit midnight and words started to appear on Roman's wrist and he nearly shrieked in excitement. It was a very small, neat, precise handwriting, in navy blue ink.</p><p>
  <em>Throughout their statements, the proposition have consistently tried to twist this debate...</em>
</p><p>The words kept going, lines and lines, travelling down Roman's arm, crammed together as if trying to fit as much as possible. They were halfway down his forearm when Roman started getting worried, then past the crook of his elbow, not slowing down for the world. It wasn't until he was having to push up the short sleeve of his t-shirt to keep reading that the writing slowed and stopped.</p><p>...<em>our greatest defence.</em></p><p>He read the words over and over again, most of which he barely understood. Why did his soulmate talk so much? Roman muttered the words out loud, timing himself. It came to three minutes. Was he supposed to meet his soulmate while they were giving a speech?</p><p>That sounded <em>boring</em>. But maybe when he met them it wouldn't be so bad? Roman just hoped his soulmate wouldn't be as dull as their first words.</p><p>-----</p><p>The lecture theatre was noisy and crowded, and the only seats available were right near the top. Roman didn't think he would be able to hear the debate at all from so high up, but it was too late to leave now, people would judge him.</p><p>He hadn't really wanted to come to debate club, and didn't suspect he would stay past the first week, but it was the first one of the term and Roman thought he might as well give it a try. Best case scenario, he really enjoyed himself and gave actually debating a go and found he loved it, worst case scenario Roman wasted an hour sitting there listening to stuck-up people talk about subjects they knew nothing about and then never came back.</p><p>As yet more students trickled in, Roman surveyed the "stage" area. In the middle were some tables in a row, and five students sitting in a line behind them facing the audience. The girl in the middle had what looked like a small wooden hammer that she was experimentally tapping on the table. The pairs either side of her were looking at pieces of paper, muttering amongst themselves, and occasionally looking over at the other pair. For the prelude to a verbal battle of wits and knowledge (or competition to see who knew the most big words), it was surprisingly relaxed. The five students seemed mostly to be joking and laughing while they pretend to size each other up.</p><p>Roman found his eyes being drawn more and more to the guy on the far right hand side of the long table. He was wearing a polo shirt and tie for some reason, and glasses that made him look simultaneously nerdy and also very attractive. His brow was furrowed in concentration and he was scribbling away furiously on his piece of paper, crossing things out and re-writing them. Roman wasn't sure why he looked like he was taking this so seriously when no-one else was, but it did mean he was all the more intrigued to hear what he had to say.</p><p>It didn't seem Roman would have to wait very long though for the supervising professor stood up at the front of the stage and seemed to be trying to get everyone to quieten down. When they realised it was in vain, the girl with the small hammer suddenly banged it on the table a few times.</p><p>Everyone shut up.</p><p>"Right, thank you for that. Ok, welcome everyone to our first formal debate of the year!" The professor started saying something about debate styles and that this time the students would only be doing one statement each and there would be no questions, as opposed to the normal system that sounded very convoluted.</p><p>They were shown a video beforehand - some patronising thing of adults saying "the youth" needed to "stop being generation snowflake" and "argue their points <em>on the facts</em>, and win". Roman found himself mildly offended, which was ironic given the use of the term snowflake.</p><p>Anyway, finally it was time for the actual debate to begin. The professor turned onto a presentation and displayed the debate topic for that day, the motion.</p><p>‘<em>This house believes that public libraries should be defunded.’</em></p><p>Roman almost gasped in shock at the suggestion. Why was this even a discussion? Public libraries were wonderful things, even if he hardly used them, they shouldn't be gotten rid of! After a second of trying to control his affronted noises he remembered the professor had said that these arguments were not ones they were seriously considering, and people often debated opinions they didn't actually agree with. Something to do with the skill of debate, not the topics.</p><p>A guy in a full on suit, at the left hand end of the table, stood, glanced at the girl in the middle who was apparently the "chair", and launched into his speech. He started by repeating the "motion" and then began some grandiose, rambling <em>thing</em>, that Roman had a hard time concentrating on. He glanced around the lecture hall and saw several others with similar confusion, so at least he wasn't the only one. In general though, the speech did sound like the guy knew what he was talking about, so maybe Roman was just being an idiot.</p><p>By the time the man sat down, Roman wasn't really sure of much except that the person was the most pompous and patronising individual he had ever seen. He wondered if he really did agree with defunding public libraries.</p><p>Next, the person on the chair's left hand side stood. They started with something that certainly sounded like a rebuttal to the first argument, but it soon became rambly and disorganised and Roman couldn't really hear what they were saying anyway because they were staring at their paper the whole time.</p><p>If he was supposed to vote based on quality of debate, then the first team seemed to be winning. Roman noticed, as the person sat down, that the guy next to them - one one in glasses and tie - gave them a tight smile and small nod that was probably supposed to be reassuring.</p><p>The girl to the right of the chair then stood and began her statement. It was a very organised and regimented thing that didn't seem to flow very well. Roman could have given her several pointers on delivery, but he suspected the main problem was the actual content of the speech. It was alright, and Roman at least was able to understand what she was on about, but at that point he was really feeling rather underwhelmed about the whole thing.</p><p>Then the nerdy-looking guy on the right hand end stood up and Roman found himself leaning forward in his seat in interest. He cleared his throat, adjusted his tie, pushed his glasses further up his nose, rustled his papers a little, gripped the desk with his hands, cleared his throat again, and then looked up to the audience.</p><p>There was a pause.</p><p>He opened his mouth to speak and Roman's heart took a rapid dive downwards before quickly changing course and shooting through the roof.</p><p>"Throughout their statements, the proposition has consistently tried to twist this debate into a focus on economic value, and have presented to you, <em>as fact</em>, the opinion that knowledge should somehow be eared. They have argued that purely because public libraries do not produce money, the invaluable services they provided should be curtailed.</p><p>"But should profit be prioritised over such a basic human right as freedom to learn?...Never."</p><p>They were words that Roman had spent countless nights reading and re-reading until he knew them off by heart. The words that sounded so dull and pompous and needlessly verbose when written on his skin, but now flowed like poetry from this man.</p><p>His soulmate barely glanced at his paper as he spoke, eyes roving around the room and focusing on each person in turn. When, for only half a second, those electric eyes landed on Roman's own he forgot how to breath.</p><p>As his soulmate spoke, he became more and more animated, laying out his points clearly, elaborating on them and explaining them in a way that Roman found he could understand completely. His eyes were alight, hands gesturing through the air as he spoke, sweeping Roman up in his words, in the smooth baritone of his voice, in the calm sincerity of his expression.</p><p>Roman knew he would never tire of listening to this man speak, of getting lost in those eyes, the perfect cut of his jaw, the warmth of those arms. He had never been more gay.</p><p>It was with a sinking feeling that Roman realised the speech was coming to an end.</p><p>"The proposition have repeatedly stated the opinion that knowledge is somehow unimportant...that reading is obsolete...that the combined benefits of public libraries, the sum of which cannot be replicated with any other resource, is unnecessary to how we live our lives. That what you don't know cant hurt you."</p><p>He paused, gazed seeming to bore into every crevice of the room.</p><p>"This is a categorical <em>falsehood</em>."</p><p>Roman's heart rate picked up, his favourite part was coming.</p><p>"Knowledge is an <em>incomparably</em> valuable <em>multi-purpose</em> tool that is <em>instrumental</em> in identifying and solving <em>any</em> problem. If you're worried about getting hurt, seek knowledge. It is our greatest weapon, and our <em>greatest</em> defence."</p><p>The room erupted into applause. The man slowly sat down, hands shaking ever so slightly, and Roman was filled with pure elation.</p><p>He had never thought, in all the years of reading those words, that they could ever sound so profound, but the way that man had spoken them into existence...Roman suddenly felt as though he could do anything.</p><p>And right now, he wanted to meet his soulmate.</p><p>He went though the motions of voting (raise a hand for the team you feel debated best) in a daze. His soulmates' team won by a storm and the elation in Roman's chest only swelled more when he saw the nerd's cheeks flush and him duck his head to hide his grin.</p><p>But when the people started to get up to leave, Roman couldn't get out of the row of seats. It was too narrow and full of people, and he was right in the middle. He was practically vibrating with anticipation as he inched his way towards the isle and was hurrying down the stairs the moment he was free.</p><p>His soulmate was standing by the table, collecting his papers. A few people paused by him to say some congratulatory words on his debate but they did not stay long, and none of them spoke with the enthusiasm that Roman felt he deserved. From the few snatches of conversation Roman overheard as he made his way over, he gather that it was the first time his soulmate, apparently a second year, had debated in front of a crowd. Oh, and his name was Logan.</p><p>He found himself standing in front of Logan far too quickly, without anything witty or charming to say. His soulmate turned to him with beautifully flushed cheeks, and eyes that sparkled behind his glasses.</p><p>"Er...yes?" He said, with that wonderfully smooth voice.</p><p>Roman couldn't think straight (he never did, but this was worse than normal). "Hi..." he sighed, in a voice that sounded far too dreamy, "I just wanted to say that was the most amazing and inspiring thing I've ever heard, I could listen to you talk all day..." he broke off with another sigh, his brain too addled with the sight of his soulmate, who from up close was even more ridiculously handsome, in a nerdy sort of way.</p><p>Logan tensed, eyes widening and arms falling to his sides. There was just long enough of a silence for Roman to worry he'd said something wrong then suddenly Logan's expression turned determined.</p><p>"Follow me." He said, turning on his heel and walking towards a side door that led outside, Roman on his heels slowly regaining some of his brain's functions.</p><p>Outside, they were immediately under some trees, in a tiny sheltered courtyard. Logan didn't stop walking until they were completely out of sight of the door. Then he turned back to Roman.</p><p>"Do you mean it?"</p><p>"I-pardon?"</p><p>"Did you mean what you said to me? You weren't just saying it because you had realised we are soulmates?"</p><p>"Oh of course I meant it!" Roman grinned at Logan, standing up straighter and tossing his hair out of his face a little. "You are incredible! Your argument was so well thought out and you clearly have a talent for public speaking. You had the audience enthralled! Not to mention your voice is just <em>heavenly! </em>I meant what I said: I would listen to you talk all day, it wouldn’t matter what about, and I'm sure I'd understand it too because that's just how incredible you are."</p><p>Roman realised that Logan had moved closer to him while he was speaking and was now looking right into his eyes with so much intensity Roman thought he might combust. "Whether or not you were my soulmate," he breathed, not wanting to break whatever spell seemed to have overcome the two of them, "I would have still thought that...not to mention how hot, and how beautiful, you are..."</p><p>He trailed off when Logan's eyes flicked down to his lips and back again to his eyes, unsure. They moved forward at the same time, closing the last of the gap between them as they kissed. Roman melted under Logan's hands, wrapping his arms around his soulmates neck and kissing him as if his life depended on it, Logan responding just as fiercely.</p><p>When they finally broke for air, they barely moved apart, just rested their foreheads together and held on tight.</p><p>"I must be the luckiest man in the world to have you as my soulmate." Roman whispered into his soulmate's lips.</p><p>"Second luckiest," Logan murmured, pressing another gentle kiss to his lips and smiling softly, "after me."</p><p>~~*~~</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Gdi I loved writing the romance in this, I'm just really happy now. Thanks for reading, I hope you like it too!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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